1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming device capable of acquiring data from a web server.
2. Description of the Related Art
Accompanying the increasing popularity of the Internet in recent years, it has become possible to acquire various data by browsing websites and the like presented by web servers on the Internet.
Also recently, communication systems known as broadband systems are becoming widely popular for their ability to connect to the Internet in communication environments having a data transfer rate exceeding about 500kbps. These systems have made it possible for any household or office to enjoy high-speed Internet connections. Some broadband systems well known in the art include cable Internet employing a cable television (CATV) network, FTTH (Fiber to the Home) employing optical fibers provided to individual households, and DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) employing the normal telephone lines provided in most households. A particular type of DSL well known in the art called ADSL (Asymmetric DSL) provides faster transfer rates to the user than from the user.
However, the conventional method for accessing the Internet to acquire and browse content on web servers has required complicated connections, settings, and the like. First, a communication device, such as a personal computer, must be connected to a broadband router or the like, and a signal converting device that supports the above-described broadband (hereinafter referred to as a broadband-capable modem), such as a cable modem, media converter, or DSL modem (ADSL modem and the like) must be connected to the broadband router. Further, it has not been possible to even access a web server without a personal computer or the like. The broadband router is provided with a routing function for controlling data paths while converting between a private IP address used on a local area network (LAN) and a global IP address used on the Internet, serving as a wide area network (WAN).